Fitness Tips

Here are some fitness tips to help you start and maintain a lifestyle of healthy habits. Most of these tips evolved from others who, like you, are successfully pursuing a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle is nothing more than the gradual implementation of good habits. As you read through the tips below, don’t try to implement all of these at once…start slowly and build gradually…this will increase your chance of long-term success!:

Fitness Tip #1: Start a Food LogIt’ll become much easier to cut-back or change your dietary habits if you track your actual intake. Although it doesn’t take much time, this can be tedious and you’ll look for reasons to stop doing it. Commit to the
food log for 10 straight days. You’ll get a real good feel for your eating habits, caloric intake, and which foods are worth the calories…and which are not. You’ll also be less likely to grab an extra cookie if you have to write it down!

Fitness Tip #2: Measure your performanceIf you want to improve it, measure it! …pounds, inches, running time…all can be measured and improved. Avoiding the bathroom scale and hallway mirror only distorts your own perception, not reality. Be honest with yourself. Write down your starting point and commit to improvement

Fitness Tip #3: Forgive YourselfOf all the fitness tips, this is the one that may help you the most. We’re all human and no one is perfect. Don’t let a bowl of ice cream or week off from exercising derail your long-term commitment. It’s estimated that the majority of diets don’t last beyond three days. I would guess that this is the point when most people cave in and indulge in one of their favorite old habits. Know that this will happen and just get back on track again. If you’re not in the mood to workout, give yourself a day off here and there…it’s far better than the alternative (burn-out). If you’re committed to long-term success, you’ll have to endure a few short-term setbacks….everyone does.

Fitness Tip #4: Simplify your PlanWhile it’s always good to think through
your fitness plan and make solid goals and milestones, don’t make it overly complicated. Start off with some simple morning calisthenics and a lunchtime walk. Once this becomes comfortable, expand it. It’s much easier to develop a structured routine that increases over time, than it is to adopt it all of it at once. If your goal is to complete a marathon, give yourself 6-12 months to train for it. This gradual improvement,
kaizen, will increase the chance of success while decreasing your chances of injury.

Fitness Tip #5: Reward YourselfIt’s easy to lose focus when pursuing long-term goals. You can alleviate this by setting up some interim fitness milestones. For example, once you lose ½ the weight buy yourself a piece of
fitness equipment or other treat. If you’re training for a longer race like a marathon, get yourself a
running gadget or pair of racing flats when you reach a certain weekly mileage. It’s all a game…but it’s little things like this that keep you motivated to reach your goals!

Adapt these fitness tips to meet your life and level of activity. And if you ever get discouraged, know that everyone is going through a desire for improvement in one stage or another. Fitness is a journey not a destination – welcome to the ride!